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Feb 17 | 11:00 AM
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Peoria Sports Complex
16101 North 83rd Avenue Peoria AZ 85382
Ralph R. Zobell
| Posted: 17 Feb 2014 | Updated: 8 Nov 2020
PEORIA Ariz. (February 17, 2014)—McKay Connor knocked his second home run of the series Monday to give Kansas a 10-1 victory and a four-game series sweep over BYU.
Kansas, 4-0, took leads of 1-0 in the sixth and 2-0 in the seventh when it pushed across runners from second base. Then Connor belted a two-run homer in the eighth to give the Jayhawks a 4-0 lead.
The Cougars loaded the bases in the eighth when shortstop Hayden Nielsen drew a lead-off walk, Brennon Lund singled up the middle to mark his fourth consecutive game with a hit as starter Drew Morovick gave way to ace reliever Jordan Piche’. Brock Whitney worked a full count walk and then Kelton Caldwell singled to score Nielsen, closing the gap to 4-1.
Other than that, the Cougars didn’t generate much offense, with their best threat coming in the sixth frame when Whitney was hit by a pitch and Caldwell stroked a two-out double to right field, but both were stranded.
Cougar junior Jeff Barker threw 109 pitches before surrendering the mound to freshman southpaw Hayden Parker in the 8th after striking out six Jayhawks.
"Barker did a great job," BYU coach Mike Littlewood said. "I'm pleased with our starting pitching, that was the bright spot for us in this series. Their pitcher, Drew Morovick, did a nice job today, too."
Barker struck out pairs of Jayhawks in the third and fifth innings. That fifth inning was a test of Cougar mettle as Barker gave up a lead-off walk after being ahead 1-2 in the count. Then shortstop Nielsen slid right, threw across his body and snuffed out that lead runner at second before Barker registered strikeouts four and five swinging.
A lead-off walk came back to haunt BYU in the sixth, when Kansas advanced its runner on a sac-bunt, then scored on a single to left field for a 1-0 lead. Kansas batted around its lineup when it tacked on six runs in the ninth.
"In all four games when it was tight, we weren't able to push runs across when it counted," Littlewood said. "We've got to solve our bull pen problems. I like our team, but it has been disappointing these first games. We've got to get big hits, get on base in the early innings and play fundamentally sound."
After returning home from Arizona, the Cougars, 0-4, fly to Corpus Christi, Texas, to start the Kleberg Bank Classic with a Thursday doubleheader against host Texas A&M Corpus Christi.
Ralph R. Zobell
| Posted: 10 Feb 2014 | Updated: 8 Nov 2020
As Spring Training heats up, BYU’s baseball team plays Kansas this week to start a four-game series at one of those Cactus League sites in Peoria, Ariz.
The Cougars (32-21 in 2013) and Jayhawks (34-25 in 2013) open with a four-game series Feb. 14-17 at the Mariners/Padres Spring Training Peoria Sports Complex.
BYU was picked to finish seventh in the West Coast Conference after tying for second last season in its second year in the league and first under Coach Mike Littlewood. The Cougars return 17 lettermen and have 17 newcomers, including 10 transfers, five of whom are from Salt Lake Community College.The Cougars have been practicing indoors this year except for a pair of outdoor practices at St. George last weekend.
"We are chomping at the bit to get out from under the roof and get the season started," Littlewood said. "We have a little more depth than last year which will enable us to match up more effectively. There's also a better comfort level, and a better understanding among the players and coaches as to how we want to build a game and use our personnel."
Senior co-captain Desmond Poulson (7-2, 3.24) will get the starting nod on the mound for Friday’s opener at 1 p.m. MST. Poulson was recently named second team All-West Coast Conference by College Sports Madness on its preseason roundup. Fellow co-captain Brock Whitney was a first team preseason selection by College Sports Madness and by the WCC coaches. Sophomore Hayden Nielsen, another co-captain, was also a preseason first team selection by WCC coaches.
Recently returned missionaries Kolton Mahoney and Hayden Rogers are scheduled to be the starting pitchers in Saturday’s doubleheader starting at 11 a.m. MST. Mahoney, a sophomore, was 3-2 with a 2.42 earned run average in 2011 prior to his mission. Rogers, a southpaw from Mesa, Ariz., is a true freshman.
Junior Jeff Barker (6-3, 3.67), BYU’s number two starter last season behind Poulson, is scheduled to start the last of the four-game series on Monday at 11 a.m. MST.
BYU won the bookends of a three-game series last year against Kansas in Provo. Kansas is picked to finish ninth in the Big 12 Conference by the league coaches.
After the series in Arizona, BYU travels to Corpus Christi, Texas, to play in the Kleberg Bank Classic against host Texas A & M Corpus Christi, nationally ranked TCU and Texas San Antonio, while travels to Port Charlotte,Fla., (Feb. 21-24) for the Snowbird Classic.
The Cougars (32-21 in 2013) and Jayhawks (34-25 in 2013) open with a four-game series Feb. 14-17 at the Mariners/Padres Spring Training Peoria Sports Complex.
BYU was picked to finish seventh in the West Coast Conference after tying for second last season in its second year in the league and first under Coach Mike Littlewood. The Cougars return 17 lettermen and have 17 newcomers, including 10 transfers, five of whom are from Salt Lake Community College.The Cougars have been practicing indoors this year except for a pair of outdoor practices at St. George last weekend.
"We are chomping at the bit to get out from under the roof and get the season started," Littlewood said. "We have a little more depth than last year which will enable us to match up more effectively. There's also a better comfort level, and a better understanding among the players and coaches as to how we want to build a game and use our personnel."
Senior co-captain Desmond Poulson (7-2, 3.24) will get the starting nod on the mound for Friday’s opener at 1 p.m. MST. Poulson was recently named second team All-West Coast Conference by College Sports Madness on its preseason roundup. Fellow co-captain Brock Whitney was a first team preseason selection by College Sports Madness and by the WCC coaches. Sophomore Hayden Nielsen, another co-captain, was also a preseason first team selection by WCC coaches.
Recently returned missionaries Kolton Mahoney and Hayden Rogers are scheduled to be the starting pitchers in Saturday’s doubleheader starting at 11 a.m. MST. Mahoney, a sophomore, was 3-2 with a 2.42 earned run average in 2011 prior to his mission. Rogers, a southpaw from Mesa, Ariz., is a true freshman.
Junior Jeff Barker (6-3, 3.67), BYU’s number two starter last season behind Poulson, is scheduled to start the last of the four-game series on Monday at 11 a.m. MST.
BYU won the bookends of a three-game series last year against Kansas in Provo. Kansas is picked to finish ninth in the Big 12 Conference by the league coaches.
After the series in Arizona, BYU travels to Corpus Christi, Texas, to play in the Kleberg Bank Classic against host Texas A & M Corpus Christi, nationally ranked TCU and Texas San Antonio, while travels to Port Charlotte,Fla., (Feb. 21-24) for the Snowbird Classic.
NOTE: The audio stream of the BYU-Kansas games is not free.
For more information on the BYU-Kansas series, please download the multi-page game notes from the PDF below:
